Buoyant propeller



(No Model.)

G. H. POND.

, BUOYANT PROPELLBR. No. 424,078.

N. PETERS. Phoia-Ulhsgnphw. Wnhlnglurg .C.

Patented Mar.- 25, 1890.

' UfNiTnD STAT-ns PATENT OFFICE.

GOLDSBURY HA-RDEN POND, OF GIiENS FALLS, NEN, YORK.

'BUOYANT PROPELLER.

SPECIFICA'IION forming part of 4Letters Patent N0.'424 ,O78, dated March25, 1890.

Application filed October l1, 1887. i Serial No.v252,005. (No model.)

To LZ whom it mayconcern.-

Be it known that I, GoLDsBURY HARDEN POND, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Glens Falls, in the county of Varren and State ofkNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Surface-TaterLocomotives, with which locomotion is made on and over the surface ofthe water, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in surface-water locomotives, withwhich locomotion is made on and over the surface of the water.

The object of my invention is to provide an endless flexible boat orbuoyant belt adapted to be taken up and laid down upon water by suitablewheels, and serving for 'a pathway and track forthe .wheels and carriageof a surface-water locomotive to move in and on either forward or backover the surface of the water; also to obviate any friction from thewater on either the bottom or sides of the liexible boat, and therebyprevent any loss of the powernsed in propelling the'locomotive by suchfriction, as occurs in the ordinary mode of vessels moving through thewater; and to this end my invention consists in having an endlessiiexible belt stretched into shape over two or more drums or wheels ateach end of the boat, and having the lower side of the endless boat thatrests on the water remain motionless until the upper side passes over itand is laid down on the water at the forward end or raised up at therear end by the movement' of the drivingwheels. I attain these objectsby the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure lis an elevation and side view. Fig. 2 is a plan View, partly insection. Fig. of is a sectional view through the center of either pairof driving-wheels ofV the locomotive. Fig. 4 is an illustration of thelower side of the iiexible boat, remaining nearly or practicallymotionless while the upper side and the frame or carriage and wheelspass over it.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a section of the boat and the groove tohold the ribs. Fig. 6 is a midship section of the flexible boat. Fig. 7is a midship section of a iiexible boat made in the ordinary shape.

The sides A A and the cross-pieces B B constitute the frame-work of thecarriage. In the side pieces A A are the boxes of the axles O O, onwhich thedriving-wheels turn. The endless flexible and buoyant belt orboat E, provided with inclined sides F, is made of duck or otherflexible material and provided with sides or fianges F F, and has itsends securelyfastened together. It may be of one or more thicknesses ofduck and held together with india-rubber, they same as ordinary rubberbelting is made; or it may be fastened together with rivets.

The sides F F of the boat are held in posi-I tion by the ribs G G, eachof which extends across the bottom and up the inclined sides, and theends of the ribs move in the groove H, which firmly holds them inposition. With the sides thus formed the endless belt is an endlessboat. placed thereon-one at each end-andas many Two drivingwheels D Dare in the intermediate space as may be required p to keep the boat inline and move it easily.

yThe wheels D D rest upon the bottom of the .ing the track, until thewheel iny its forward movement has passed over it and begins to lift itat the rear from the Water to carry it forward and lay it down on thewater again. Thus each portion of the belt in succession rests on thewater until it is lifted at the rear, when it is immediately carriedforward by the movement of the Wheels and then laid down upon the waterat the front. The bottom can be of any form and the drivingwheels madeto fit it, as shown in midship section in Figs. 6 and 7.

I prefer to carry out this feature of my invention as shown in Figs.1,2, and 3, wherein it will be seen that the flat bottom E of theflexible boat on its inner surface is the same as a belt on a pulley onwhich it runs, and that it is carried over the drivin g-wheels in thesame manner, with this difference, that the `drivingwheels in the boatare not stationary and that the edges of the belt are turned over theends of the wheels D D for the sides F Fand are folded into the positionto move'round easily with the driving-Wheels as they are turned,

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and are held there while passing around the wheels when the foldstraightens out into line on the straight part of the boat between thedriving-wheels on the ends of it. The endless boat, after it is placedon the driving-wheels, is stretched to the required tightness by screwsbehind the ends of the axle-boxes in the ordinary way. Two of theseboats, Fig. 3, are placed parallel to each othr and fastened togetherwith the cross-pieces B B, forming a water-locomotive that can be movedover the surface of the water by either steam, wind,- or other power.The cross-pieces B B are made as long as required for deck-room andbeam, and when steam is used the boiler and engine rest upon this deck,and the engine may be connected by belt to the pulley on the axles C C,as illustrated in Fig.

The ilexible endless boat can be of any width and length requiredproportionate to the strength of material. When in motion,there is nofriction of the water upon the sides or bottom of the boat, as it doesnot move through the water at any time, but is unrolled at the forwardend as the wheels turn, and is dropped nearly vertically down into thewater and lies there motionless until the wheels at the rear end rollalong in the boat over it, raising it up out of the water, asillustrated in Fig. 4. If the frame and wheels are conceived as inmotion toward the left part of the belt, (or a boat,) 1 is carriedforward in the direction of 1 2 remaining stationary until the reardriving-wheels move along nearly up to 2, as shown by the dotted lineson the right hand of Fig. 4. l is carried over to l', and is then laiddown into the water, and as soon as the rear wheels roll over 2 it israised up and carried over the driving-wheel and takes its place on theupper or moving side of the boat, and is carried over as 1 has been,while 1 takes a position on the stationary side which rests on thesurface of the water motionless, and so on as long as the boat is inmotion, forming an endless track for the wheels, with the load thereon,to run in. The cross-boards or buckcts L, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5, serve tohold the boat from slipping in either direction through the water. Theydo not act as propellers, nor move at any time through the water ineither direction, but hold the boat from slipping as the wheels areturned round on their axles until said buckets or cross-boards begin tobe lifted and are moved upward and forward by the forward motion of thewheels.

The resist-ance to be overcome by the motive power, besides the frictionof the axles,

is the displacement under the end driving. wheels as they move forwardor backward, which is shown by the perpendicular line O, Fig. 1, and theline P representing the draft of the boat, and N the surface of thewater. This resistance, as illustrated, is very near the surface of thewater and is exceedingly small, and as the boat does not move throughthe water, thereby removing all the friction of the water on either thebottom or sides, the motive power has but a small amount of resistanceto a forward or backward motion to overcome, so that it is possible toattain a very high speed on the surface of the water with a small amountof power. The drivingwheels maybe incased, so as to be water-tight. Thenin case the boatis broken they will act as buoys to the locomotive.

My application for patent for improvements in construction of vessels,Serial No. 186,283, Iiled December 25, 1885, and application for patentfor improvements in water-craft for locomotion on the surface of thewater,- Serial No. 245,552, filed July 28, 1887, are modifications of myinvention as applied to locomotion on the surface instead of throughit'.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In a surface-water locomotive, an endless iiexible belt havinginclined sides or edges, in combination with a frame or car; riagesurrounding said belt and provided with grooves adapted to receive saidedges, and drivingwhcels journaled in said frame, the belt passingaround the wheels, substantially as described.

2. ln a surface-water locomotive, the open endless belt having inclinedsides or edges and provided with ribs, to which the bottom and inclinedsides of the belt are secured, in combination with a frame and withwheels journaled therein, the belt passing around the wheels and adaptedto be driven thereby, substantially as described.

3. In a surface-water locomotive, the com bination of the frame-work ofthe carriage, having,r the driving-wheels journaled therein, with theendless belt passing around said wheels and adapted to be driventhereby, and provided with buckets or cross-boards, and having itsinclined edges movably supported on the frame, substantially asdescribed.

GOLDSBURY HARDEN POND.

Witnesses:

L. C. FOSTER, II. M. POND.

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